Carpaccio + ciabatta
Eggplant rollatini
Tiramisu
Camarao na moranga
Harira

Anonymous wrote:Last year we did raclette, which was fun for something different. If you're in NoVa, you can rent the tabletop grills from the Swiss Bakery.

We also did Peruvian (either Christmas Eve or night, don't remember which) and ordered empanadas, flan and alfajores.

Both were hits! I am personally a fan of non-traditional.

Brilliant! Would you share where your ordered from? Thanks.

Lasagna

We do an Asian hotpot on Xmas eve for just a small group of 6 people using simple chicken broth.

https://thewoksoflife.com/chinese-hot-pot-at-home/

We will be having roast duck and a some sort of salmon (I haven't decided what flavor/recipe yet).

FYI, we have done fondue in the past and there are many options besides cheese fondue. My wife's family used to do broth fondue for holidays, so we've done that a few years. I make a vegetable stock and put it in the fondue pot. Then we have an assortment of sliced beef, chicken, shrimp, salmon and various vegetables. After slicing I put them on two platters (one meat, one veggie) and then cover with plastic wrap. I leave them in the fridge until we are ready to eat. I typically get about 12-15 different sauces, basically going through the dressing, Asian and sauce aisles and taking a bottle of anything that looks good. Some are hits, some are misses, but everyone has fun trying lots of new dipping flavors. Heat the broth until it is boiling, turn down to a simmer and then take out the food. Everyone puts their food into the broth to cook (slice the meats thin, so that it is easy to cook through). You can regulate the temperature of the broth, when more is cooking you can turn it up, when less is in the broth, you can turn it down. I make lots of broth as it will boil down and you should add more. I usually make like 8-12 quarts of broth for four people or 12-16 for 8-10 people (then we run two fondue pots). At the end of the meal, I save the broth and the next day, I make soup for lunch with the broth. After cooking all the meats and veggies from the night before, the broth and soup is so flavorful. My family loves this and we do it periodically. I usually serve with some good bread or a nice rice pilaf.

You can also do oil fondue, but we're not as fond of it. The food doesn't feel greasy, but the meal is a much heavier meal and it feels like it.

Great ideas! Thank you! -op

Beef wellington, lasagna, paella, lobster…there are lots of options

Beef tenderloin, popovers, creamed spinach, jacket potatoes.

Order something fun from Goldbelly like lobster rolls, cheesesteaks, turkducken or BBQ. They have a lot of choices...

I still remember a night of Christmas movies and a giant spread of various sweet and savory canapes.

My European-Asian family does a beef Wellington at Christmas (which is traditional in some locales) and sushi at New Year's.

We've also done various variations of duck, roast, and duck confit, which is a particular hit: duck pieces cooked in fat to seal in flavor. Then wipe off the fat and serve with slow-cooked veggies and bean casserole. The meat has an incredible taste and all the fat has disappeared.

Anonymous wrote:We order lots of take out from a local Chinese place on Christmas Eve and put it on fancy platters! I imagine some would be open on Christmas Day. I look forward to this meal more than any other food we have around Christmas.

Oooh NP, love this idea!

Last year we did raclette, which was fun for something different. If you're in NoVa, you can rent the tabletop grills from the Swiss Bakery.

We also did Peruvian (either Christmas Eve or night, don't remember which) and ordered empanadas, flan and alfajores.

Both were hits! I am personally a fan of non-traditional.

We order lots of take out from a local Chinese place on Christmas Eve and put it on fancy platters! I imagine some would be open on Christmas Day. I look forward to this meal more than any other food we have around Christmas.

I made the turkey, stuffing, etc. for thanksgiving. We are visiting in laws after Christmas and they’ll do ham and mashed potatoes.

Looking for a non-traditional but still special Christmas dinner. Would love ideas. Fondue would be fun, but one kid is majorly lactose intolerant.

Thanks for your suggestions!